Tourists need to display 20,000 baht before entering Thailand

Published on : Wednesday, July 19, 2017

According to the latest reports, tourists have been asked to display at least 20,000 baht in cash prior to entering Thailand.

Immigration officials at certain border checkpoints are becoming more stringent when it comes to permitting those with a history of tourist visa entries, as per the local news media. In addition, educational (ED) visa holders are also confronting with additional scrutiny.

This move aims to check the number of people who are not genuine tourists and might be working illegally in Thailand.

It might also go a long way in ceasing the practice of ‘begpacking’. Begpacking implies to a certain practice of Western begpackers begging for money to finance their travels around Asia.

It has also been reported that immigration officials at Padang Besar were pulling back tourist visa holders on 14th July, Friday.

They were checking people who were not capable of displaying the proof of 20,000 baht in cash for questioning.

Currently, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not mention anything about requiring a minimum amount of money to enter Thailand. But then, it does not offer any advise about having return flights booked. Furthermore, some airliners have refused to board passengers in the lack of sufficient onward travel.